ViaTheBistro

Fret not. We have not disappeared, just taken a temporary break in order to relocate.

We’re now officially settled in Boston and Manhattan and ready to get back in the kitchen. However, with our new lives in the “real world”, we’ve found that we don’t have quite as much time to spend experimenting as we used to. So, in addition to our own unique culinary creations, we’ll also be bringing you samplings of our meals out, because sometimes, after a long work week, a girl’s gotta relax and let someone else do the cooking!

This past weekend VTB had a reunion in NYC and we had the pleasure of going to three great eateries: Otto, Cookshop and The Smith.

Otto is a perennial favorite for VTB. Their pizza is always superb, their spaghetti carbonara, we’re drooling just thinking about. Plus, their olive oil gelato (yes, olive oil) is something to behold–the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Otto is also VERY friendly for the post-college budget.

Cookshop has a refreshingly diverse and market-inspired menu, with everything from deviled eggs and polenta fries to North Carolina mahi-mahi and Vermont suckling pig. We had the scallops, polenta fries, nettles risotto and the suckling pig. All were absolutely delicious, and when paired with their large selection of wines made the perfect start to our evening out.

Sunday brunch was a hearty meal at the East Village’s The Smith. This is a younger scene—especially popular with those suffering from a long night out. We all had a complimentary cocktail—Bloody Mary, Passion punch, and blood orange Mimosa—with our brunch. Two HUGE egg white, spinach and goat cheese omelets and one order of smoked salmon eggs benedict filled us up for the rest of the day. However, forget the main entrée, their home fries were beyond anything we’ve ever had—and that’s saying something coming from three southerners.

We hope you’ll stay tuned to VTB over the summer, we’ll be updating 2-3 times a week, and feel free to follow us on Twitter to find out when our next post is coming up: @healthyheel, @uncnyc, @instylefoodie.

Longing for pasta, last night we created a dish chock full of hearty and delicious ingredients. This pasta dish is great right off the stove, but is also a nice, cold side if you refrigerate it overnight.

There really isn’t anything complicated about this recipe, but it is important that you pay attention to the timing…you don’t want half of the ingredients getting cold while waiting for the pasta to cook!

To save ourselves some time, we made our pesto first. We just combined basil, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan and Romano cheeses in a food processor, and when those ingredients were smooth, we gradually streamed in olive oil (with the processor still running) until the mixture became creamy.

Once the pesto had been made and set aside, we started on the other ingredients. To begin, we boiled water and poured in enough pasta for 3 large servings. When the pasta was boiling, we cut up one large stalk of broccoli into very small pieces and put them into a steamer basket. We steamed the broccoli on low until the pasta was finished.

While the pasta was cooking and broccoli steaming, we put a tablespoon of butter and a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan with 1 cup of chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of salt. We cooked the nuts until they were a deeper brown color and then set them to the side.

When the pasta was finished cooking (to al dente) we drained it and put it in a large bowl. Now all that was left to do was top the pasta with the broccoli and walnuts, pour on the pesto and mix it all together.

This dish was not only satisfying to the palette, but also a great way to get your omega-3’s with the olive oil in the pesto and sautéed walnuts—and, we used whole wheat rotini, which gave us a serving of whole grains!…so, now you have a go-to pasta dish that won’t leave you with regrets!

Between jalapeños and Italian dressing this vegetable-packed side brought both color and flavor to our Memorial Day cookout – and we hope it will accompany you to your upcoming summer picnics and potlucks.

The assembly is simple and well worth the slicing and dicing of these veggies:

-whole-kernel white sweet corn

-black beans (drained and rinsed!)

-red bell pepper, chopped

-cucumber, chopped

-tomato, chopped

-green onion, sliced

-jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Just combine the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside while you create the dressing. In a small bowl pour ¾ cup of your favorite Italian dressing and accent it with lemon juice and freshly chopped cilantro…now you are ready to add it to your salad.

Combine salad and dressing, cover and place in the fridge for several hours before serving.
And there you have it. A great salad, minus the lettuce.

Until next time,

xoxo,

VTB

ViaTheBistro@gmail.com

***We are grateful for all of the men and women who died while serving our country.

ViaTheBistro is a food blog and boutique catering group started by three young foodies wanting to explore a passion. VTB is here to make quality boutique bites for any occasion, and we look forward to making your next event fabulous. Here you will find the latest news, events, interests, queries, ... Continue reading →